Devilish Angels and Angelic Devils
by Deadly Tigress
Summary: The screams and sobs seemed to both horrify and disgust the pixie-haired vampire. "This is the worst ball I've ever been to." A smile of contempt and amusement curled the crimson lips of the calm, if not bored, brunette. "Then obviously, you haven't been to enough. Trust me, little rabbit-muncher, the party has just begun." The blonde girl giggled behind her blood-stained hands.


Chapter One_- Child of the Forest_

"Hey, get back here, you little thief!"

Bella didn't dare look back at the sound of the thunderous voice that roared from behind her. Instead, she glanced down at her left hand where a nice-sized silver trout was flopping along with her racing steps. The poor thing was hanging from a cut fishing line that ended with a hook mercilessly pierced through the side of its gaping mouth. On each side of its head, round but dull eyes gazed back up at her sightlessly; not even a hint of life lingered in the glazed, yellow depths.

"I'll have you arrested for this, kid!" _Go ahead. I'll just beg my way out again. No big deal really._

It was a big deal though. A _very_ big deal. Just the thought of waiting inside the police station as her drunken father was awakened from his beer-induced slumber by the call of Chief Thompson was enough to send a fierce chill down her spine. No, she couldn't risk that happening again. Not today. Today, she needed to eat and rest up while she still could; even if that meant taking some trout from a camping family who had been fishing along the lake. _Serves them right for tossing the fish at their cooler like basketballs…you can't let good meat like this go to waste. Well, I'm doing them a favor by letting this one not go to waste, so they should thank me._

Her feet leading her away from the docks around the lake, she headed into the woods rather than book it on the main road. That was too risky right now. Besides, she knew her way around when it came to the forest. Compared to the town, it was safer there. No need to worry when her trail was lost in the trees.

Reckless when chased and indifferent to obstacles in her way, she crashed through the thickets that grew around the edge of the tree-line with little notice of the sticks and thorns that scratched and pricked at her bare legs. In an instant, she was given safety by the many shadows that hid and play happily in the damp forest. Always pleased to help her, they concealed her body from view with hushed giggles, while the towering trees above watched on in disapproving silence. However, neither one of the woods' quiet inhabitants would stop her from continuing to running as fast and far as she could.

Not for a while, at least.

When Bella finally did felt she was a good length away, she slowed to a measured trot until her entire body ached for some form of rest. Cautious, her keen eyes scanned around the area until it locked onto to a tree that was laid out on the ground. It definitely wouldn't be the best place she sat on, but she wasn't really one to complain.

"Woof," she blew out with a soft breath of air. Her legs collapsing from under her as her bottom connected with the rough bark of the chopped down tree, she rubbed the soreness from her thighs with trembling hands. Behind her, another tree stood tall and proud beside its fallen comrade, allowing Bella to lay her head against its trunk with the comforting resemblance of a friendly shoulder. Well, she did it again. Her escape from her would-be captors had been another battle, fought and won, but how long would this personal war of hers go on?

She wasn't sure, and honestly, she didn't care much to think too hard about it. Surviving didn't require thinking of _how long_ she needed to survive; it only required on what she needed _to do _to survive. At the moment, that was building a fire and cooking this fish she had proudly stole. So that's what she was going to do.

"Better make it a small fire. Don't want to attract attention," she mumbled to herself as she gathered up the things that were needed. In minutes, she had a makeshift stone-and-stick hearth with summer-green leaves padded on top that would fuel the hungry flames. _Now for the little spark. _

Quick as a gust of winter wind, she pulled out a dark crimson lighter from the pocket of her frayed shorts. To her alarm but not her surprise, it had only a swish of fluid in it left. _I'm running low again. Looks like I'm going to have to get another lighter soon. Maybe later this evening I can slip by old Tommy and get one from him._

As much as she hated to admit it, Bella relied heavily on the tiny devices. They've helped her in her trial of survival many times before. Without them, her chances of living in the forest dimmed to a faint hope. Without them, she would have to return to her original way of surviving.

Without them, her idea of surviving would mean taking the insults and dodging the beatings at "home" until she was able to leave this godforsaken hell-hole for good.

Teeth clenched together at the frightening thought, Bella flicked open the lighter and held the twisting light to the closest leaf. It caught flame immediately under the persistence of the palpable heat, giving life to her baby fire that brought a burst of joy to her heart and stomach. It looked like she was going to be eating some real food for once. Ha, no empty gut tonight! She was about to dine on a blackened trout that was going to taste like a five-star meal after what's she been eating.

Surrounding her, the shadows and the trees whispered of her presence inside their peaceful home. The older trees grumbled to themselves while the young ones stared openly at her in curiosity. Interested more in their own games, the shadows pay no mind to her being there while they danced and played around the rays of light that managed to peek through the ceiling of whistling leaves.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Mmm." Bella savored the first bite of her cooked fish with a moan that practically _purred _out of her. She couldn't help herself. The trout was hot and crisp, perhaps a tad overdone, but all and all…heavenly. Divine. Downright amazing. Her taste buds were singing the highest pitches while she chewed leisurely on the pleasant meat. _I wonder what Charlie is eating tonight. Definitely not fish. Heck, he's probably not eating anything. Just gonna drink the night away with his cans of beer. _

She snorted then tore off another piece of the trout and popped it into her mouth. The evening breeze hugged her as it walked past, waking the thin hairs on her arms to attention and bringing goose-bumps up and down her legs. It would be dark soon. She needed to get back to her house before the sun settled down for the night.

Her thighs and butt numbed from the long hours of sitting, she stood up and stretched away the stiffness. The air was getting more chilled by the second, driving away the warmth that the fire had seeped into her bones. Summer was coming close to an end again. Soon, she would have to go back to school with happy kids…and observant adults. Her stomach clenched into a violent knot. She couldn't do it. Going back to school would be too much of a risk. She would just have to find a way to avoid it all. Then again, if she avoided it, that would bring attention as well. Man, this was hard. All these decisions seemed to end horribly one way or another. Maybe she should just run away; far away, preferably another town and beyond. Perhaps someone would-

_Crack. _

Bella jumped nearly ten feet in the air at the razor-sharp sound. It came from a distance away, but she heard as clearly as if it was only a few feet away. _It was probably just another tree being cut down by the local log company_, she thought to reassured herself. Strangely enough though…it didn't _sound_ like a tree falling to its death. It was more like a slice through the air by a snapping whip. _Did Indiana Jones_ _leave the jungle and decide to look for some treasure here? Hate to disappoint, Mr. Whip-hand, but you're not going to find anything of value. Just a girl thinking of her future…and maybe a couple of discarded lighters. _

She giggled at her inside joke until another _crack_ torn the silence apart again. This time however, it was accompanied by a shrill scream that stabbed a rusted dagger of fear into her heart. It was time for her to go. _Now_. Usually, she wasn't scared of the sea of trees that encircled her hometown. What she just heard though made her think of the creatures that roamed once darkness settled. A little thing like her was pretty much an entrée to the predators that appeared during the night. Not to mention...

She wasn't about to stick around to see who, or what, owned that scream.


End file.
